Mott the Hoople formed when Silence, a not-too-successful group from the Welsh borders, was joined by session pianist and rock and roll hopeful Ian Hunter along with musicians Mick Ralphs, Verden Allen, Pete Overend Watts, and Dale Griffin . They developed from Dylan obsessives to their own character over the course of four albums for Island. They were a very popular live act but only achieved brief commercial success.
In 1971, the band was close to splitting up but continued to record track "All the Young Dudes", a song written for them by up and coming pop star and fan David Bowie. Three more albums and several pop hits later, the group fell apart after Ian Hunter left in 1974. The remaining members mutated into Mott, an 'also-ran' band which released two albums before disbanding in 1976. Original guitarist Ralphs had a massive boost in his fortunes as a member of rockers Bad Company.
Griffin died in his sleep on 17 January 2016 at the age of 67 and Watts died, almost exactly a year later, on 22 January 2017, from throat cancer.
Lounge Lizard
Mott the Hoople Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She's a Pool Hall poison but it smelt all right
Oh ma, what a sight when I saw her in the light of day
She was a Speakeasy sleazer of the lowest degree
You should hear the stories she was layin' on me
Said she got the lot, but she only spiked a few
She's a Lounge Lizard, coming on strong
Lounge Lizard, coming on strong
You gotta be joking just give give give
Now I don't care if your boy's name's John
I don't care where your Mother comes from
Just give it to me, just pull it through me all right
I don't care if your make-up's a cop
Well I don't mind just keep your raincoat on
No conversation, my reputation's (?)
She's a Lounge Lizard, coming on strong
Who are you foolin', it's me you're with
Lounge Lizard, come on strong
You gotta be joking, just give give give
She's a Lounge Lizard, coming on strong
Who she foolin', it's me you're with
Lounge Lizard, come on come on
You gotta be joking, just give give give
Lounge Lizard, coming on strong
Who are you foolin', it's me you're with
Lounge Lizard, coming on strong
You gotta be joking, just give give give
Give give give
Give give give
Yeah Give give give
Yeah Give give give
Yeah Give give give
The lyrics of Mott the Hoople’s song “Lounge Lizard” tell the story of the singer picking up a woman in a pool hall on a Saturday night. The woman is described as a “Speakeasy sleazer” and she tells the singer stories about her wild past. The singer doesn’t seem to care about her history, as he is only interested in a physical relationship with her. He urges her to give him what he wants and has no interest in getting to know her beyond their physical interactions.
The song paints a picture of a superficial and transactional relationship between two people who don’t really know or care about each other. The term “lounge lizard” is a slang term that refers to a man who hangs around in places like bars and lounges looking for casual sexual encounters. In this song, the woman is the lounge lizard, but the singer is also using her for his own pleasure.
Overall, the lyrics suggest a lack of connection and intimacy between the two characters, highlighting the emptiness of their encounter. The singer is only interested in the physical act of sex, while the woman is portrayed as someone with a troubled past who is left feeling empty and exploited.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I picked her up on a Saturday night
I met her on a Saturday night.
She's a Pool Hall poison but it smelt all right
She's attractive despite being a bit rough around the edges.
Oh ma, what a sight when I saw her in the light of day
She looked even better in daylight.
She was a Speakeasy sleazer of the lowest degree
She was a promiscuous woman who frequented speakeasies.
You should hear the stories she was layin' on me
She was bragging about her sexual conquests.
Said she got the lot, but she only spiked a few
She claimed to have a lot of sexual experience but had only been with a few people.
She's a Lounge Lizard, coming on strong
She's a seductive woman who is aggressive in her pursuit of men.
Who are you foolin', yeah yeah yeah
She's pretending to be something she's not.
You gotta be joking just give give give
She's trying to seduce him and get what she wants.
Now I don't care if your boy's name's John
He doesn't care who she's been with in the past.
I don't care where your Mother comes from
He doesn't care about her background or family.
Just give it to me, just pull it through me all right
He wants to have sex with her.
I don't care if your make-up's a cop
He doesn't care if she's wearing a lot of make-up.
Well I don't mind just keep your raincoat on
He doesn't care if she's wearing a raincoat during sex.
No conversation, my reputation's (?)
He doesn't want to talk because he's concerned about his reputation.
Who she foolin', it's me you're with
She's not fooling anyone because she's with him.
Lounge Lizard, come on come on
She's urging him to have sex with her.
Give give give
She's asking for sex.
Contributed by Ellie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.